Unstoppable
by samson.marsh.9
Summary: Corvo will never stop trying to get her back.
1. Chapter 1

Lord Protector Corvo Attano sat alone in his room. Everything was in place. Every preparation complete. Two years had passed since Emily's coronation. His little girl had grown into a brilliant ruler. The great rat plague was made nothing more than an unpleasant memory for the citizens of the empire. The city was well on its way to recovering from the devastation it had caused. All of the empress' enemies had been brought to heel and all those responsible for her mother's murder brought to justice. He was proud at how well Emily had handled those long and arduous trials. She had shown that she was a fair and impartial judge. That coupled with the massive effort forced from the nobles to restore Dunwall, had made her a beloved ruler. Just as the Outsider had promised. Corvo stared hard at the human heart in his hands. He had been forced to lock it away deep in the bowels of Dunwall tower. He had been able to resist the Outsider's influence for many months but the heart constantly whispered in his mind. He could not bring himself to destroy it. It was the last connection to her he had left. He steeled himself for the struggle to come. He had fought many times to protect Emily from harm, but this would be a battle, not of bullets and blades, but of words and wills. He laid down on his simple bed, closed his eyes and whispered to the heart "Take me to the Outsider." He felt a familiar pull. The odd gray nothingness of the void greeted him when he opened his eyes. The same broken buildings floating at different angles. "So you have not forgotten me Corvo." He whirled around to find the Outsider only a few paces away. He looked the same as before. Only his black eyes gave evidence of his great power. Corvo remained silent waiting for the Outsider to make the first move. "You are truly a fascinating individual. No one has ever shunned the power before." It was true that Corvo had made no attempt to use the energies from the void since he had slowed time to avoid Havelock's last cowardly attack.

"I've seen what becomes of those who use your power" Corvo had much practice speaking without emotion and managed to mimic the seeming immaculate speech of the Outsider. "I do not wish to end up a broken man like Daud or mad like Vera Moray."

"They were weak. Not like you Corvo."

"Do you think I've forgotten that it was your power that forced me to watch helpless while they killed the Lady Jessamine." Corvo allowed anger to show in his voice, but the Outsider seemed oblivious.

"I simply give the power to those I find interesting. How it's wielded is up to them."

Corvo felt a consuming anger burn through him. "Is that all we are to you? Is that why she died? For your entertainment! Perhaps I should simply end my life. How then will you amuse yourself?

"I fear what might become of young Empress Emily if you are not there to protect her."

Corvo's voice was deadly quiet when he answered "Do not threaten her Outsider." dark clouds gathered as he spoke and thunder could be heard in the void.

"You could not possibly understand me mortal." Corvo felt a searing pain course through his body. Every nerve was on fire. It felt like a storm tearing its way through his head. He barely kept himself from screaming. Slowly it died away and Corvo rose from where he had fallen. He pretended the pain had kept him from noticing that the clouds dispersed the moment he lost his concentration.

"Your tolerance for pain has always impressed me." the Outsider said nonchalantly.

"You have no idea my true pain."

"Ah and we finally arrive at the true reason for your visit."

Corvo pulled the heart from the pocket of his jacket. "Can you bring her back?"

The Outsider was silent for several long minutes. Though he was far from patient he could wait an eternity if the Outsider was actually considering it. His brief hope vanished when the Outsider did answer (perhaps with a hint of sadness). "What you ask is not an easy thing. I could make a new mechanical body for the heart, but she would not be the same woman you loved Corvo."

Corvo could not accept this vague explanation. He refused to accept it.

"And yet you brought me back many times during my quest to save Emily.

A small smile touched the Outsider's face. "I merely showed you the path and where your actions would lead."

Corvo considered this for a moment. "If that is the case could you not take me, with all my knowledge to a time before her murder?"

"That is possible, but there is always a price for meddling with the past. There were riots in the streets for weeks after the Empress' assassination. The inventor Piero Joplin did not leave his house out of fear. The irony is that if she had not died, he would have been run down by a loose wagon three days later. Without him, Sokolov would not have been able to make a cure for the plague." Visions ran through Corvo's head. The rat plague spreading like oil on water across the isles. Chaos and panic spreading even faster.

"In the end, only those who can afford the elixir will be spared. But they will rule over an empty kingdom. The Empress and her daughter will be safe but she will never forgive herself for failing the people. Is it not enough that Emily is safe and well? That she will live a long and prosperous life ruling a happy empire?"

"I offer you a choice Corvo." The Outsider gestured with his hand and two doors appeared on either side of him. "The door on the right will take you back to the world you know. The one on the left will take you back in time to save her. The choice is yours.

With that, the Outsider vanished leaving the two portals behind.

Corvo did not know how long he stood considering all the possibilities of each choice. Could he really sacrifice the lives of countless innocents? Could he live with the guilt that his choice would hurt the woman he loved? Could he go on without her?

The Outsider watched, unseen as Corvo struggled with his dilemma. Suddenly, Corvo's shoulders straightened and he began walking with purpose toward the doors. He stopped only a foot from them. He turned and looked right at the Outsider. "I choose my own path."

"Impossible." thought the Outsider as Corvo plunged through a portal of light that suddenly appeared between the two doors.

For several long minutes Corvo fell. He felt no fear. He knew where he needed to go. When to go. He concentrated with all the power of his mind. Suddenly the gray of the void was replaced by the sight he knew he would see. The third assassin fell before his well placed pistol shot. Emily threw herself into his arms and he knew he only had seconds to act. He turned and raised his pistol again. His shot spun the assassin completely around before Corvo was more than a foot in the air. Corvo landed heavily and off balance. Daud was already in the gazebo. It was all happening to fast. Just as before Jessamine tried to shield Emily. When he struck her Corvo lost all use of his rational mind. A roar burst from the deepest part of his soul "DAUUUUD". The assassin hesitated at the sound of his name. It was all the time it took for Corvo to cover the distance between them. He crashed into him and the screech of tortured metal could be heard as the blade meant to slay an empress left a long scratch in the stone only inches from her. Daud's blade shattered as the two men plunged down the steps each trying to pummel the other into submission. Both were masters of hand to hand combat but Corvo fought like a man possessed. Daud had never failed to kill an intended target, but something had gone terribly wrong here. The empress was supposed to be alone and unprotected and yet this seeming unbeatable mad man stood in his way. The look in his eyes told him that he would die of he continued his attack. He back up quickly trying to concentrate on a transversal destination but Corvo's furious attacks required all his attention. Daud finally landed a blow on Corvo's jaw that should have knocked him unconscious. Instead he appeared to be only stunned. Daud turned and ran for the railing but just as he vaulted over he felt a sharp pain as Corvo's dagger plunged through his back.

The tower guard, alerted by the sound of gunfire arrived moments later Corvo stood at the stone railing looking down at the broken body below. He turned at the sound of their arrival. "Lord Protector what is happening here?"

"There has been an attempt on the empress' life. Why were your men not at their posts?" Corvo waved away the captain's stammering reply. Get her majesty and the Lady Emily to her study and double the guard. Lock down the tower. No one in or out." He gestured to the body of the final assassin, who had not managed to transverse before he died. "Have your men search every inch of the tower for men dressed in this manner. None of them are to be approached individually. Patrols of three or more. The guards saluted smartly and fell into rank around the empress. She looked back to Corvo who was not fallowing. "Aren't you coming?" She asked anxiously.

"Not this time your Majesty." he said sadly removing the hand he had been holding to his abdomen since his wild tackle of Daud. A crimson stain was spreading quickly from the protruding hilt of Daud's shattered sword, and a pool was forming at his feet. He sank back against the stone even as Jessamine ran back to him.

"Corvo you're going to be alright. Call for the royal surgeon immediately!" The guard ran to obey though he knew it would do no good. No healer could repair that kind of damage.

The empress cradled her dying protector's head in her lap whispering assurances that he was going to be okay. He gave her one of his rare smiles. "We promised we would never lie to each other." he wiped the tears falling from her face. "Before I go you have to know Hiram Burrows..."

"Shh Corvo save your strength. I remember everything." Corvo's eyes half closed flew open again. "No."

"It's okay Corvo. But I'm going to need you to help me. You can't die. That's an order."

Corvo smiled weakly "I'm sorry Jessamine. This time I can't obey you. You and Emily are safe. That is all that matters." She smiled back at his use of her name. It was the first time he had without her having to coerce him. Corvo closed his eyes once more and slipped into the void.


	2. Chapter 2

Corvo awoke once more to the familiar gray of the void. The Outsider sat staring at his prone form.

He spied the Outsider staring curiously at him. He prepared himself for the pain he was sure was to come. He had after all defied the the god's wishes when he ignored his choice. For several long minutes he waited under the Outsider's scrutiny. Finally he could wait no more.

"Am I dead." he asked of the deity.

"No. I took you before your time but your wound is mortal."

"Will they be safe."

"Yes Corvo. I gave her all the knowledge of the heart. Though it will cause her pain she will know what to do to protect herself and the empire from destruction."

Corvo's reply was genuine "Thank you."

"Before I send you where you belong I must know. How did you do it Corvo."

Corvo was surprised at the question. Perhaps the Outsider was not all-knowing. Perhaps he was limited to knowledge of events but not the inner workings of man's mind.

Corvo was careful to keep any pride out of his answer. He was well aware that the god could still cause a great deal of harm if he chose to. He would not endanger Jessamine or Emily now through foolish boasting.

"It seemed to me." he began hesitantly, "that the majority of the power that you offered me was based on the manipulation of time." he looked to the Outsider for conformation but was only met by the intense gaze of his black eyes. He began to understand why most people found his near total control of his emotions unnerving. " Gales summoned from the months of winds. Swarms of rats pulled from a time when they passed that spot. Slowing time and even traversal seemed to warp time slightly. The first words the Heart spoke to me after you gave it to me," he could not keep the bitterness out of his voice as he said this. " This place is the begging and end of all things. She also said that time has no meaning in the void. I concluded that the Void must exist outside of time. Your mark gave me the ability to travel to where I needed to be."

"Simply amazing. Now the why."

"Why did I save her?"

"No that is fairly self evident. I want to know why you would spare the man who slew your Empress, but when confronted with the same choice before the fact you chose to take his life even as he fled."

Corvo looked troubled as he considered his reply. The Outsider waited patiently and Corvo suspected he had all of eternity to answer. He wondered why it took him so long to recapture a conclusion that had been instantaneous on the field of battle. The dagger in his boot had left his hand before he even had time to consider the why. "Daud was a complicated man. But I think he lived by a certain code, even if it was only his own. After he took Jessamine from me something broke inside him. When they took me in the flooded district he was different. He was not the same man who looked me in the eye as he tore everything from me. During our duel he goaded me on with taunts about killing her. I think he wanted me to kill him. When I looked down at his wounded body, I had every intention of granting his wish. I think that was a turning point for me. A choice between justice and vengeance. I wanted so badly to take everything from him just as he had to me. But I thought of Emily and what she would think of me if she saw me there. I hesitated. And then I saw something that chilled me to the bone. I saw myself. I saw what I would become if I allowed myself to go down the same path. I saw a life where I could never know any peace. Where even if I saved Emily I would never be able to look her in the eye knowing what I'd done in her mother's name. I came to the conclusion that justice would be to let this broken man live with his demons. That he would punish himself far more than I ever could."

"Fascinating. And before?"

"Before he had no such realizations. Before he was a man who would not stop until his job was done. He would have kept trying until he succeeded. No one would ever say he had failed. Without the power there was no other way for me to stop him. Either he would die or she would. I wasn't going to lose her again!"

"I see. Thank you Corvo that was most enlightening."

Corvo stood expectantly, hands clasped behind his back. Waiting for the Outsider to send him to whatever fate he had earned. After the several long minutes the Outsider seemed to remember that he was there.

"Why are you still here? She is waiting for you."

"I don't understand. Am I not going to die?"

"Apparently I overestimated you Corvo."

The Outsider chuckled at the look of confusion on his face.

His voice was serious when he continued. "You have given me a great gift Corvo. You genuinely surprised me. You can't possibly know what that means to me. You are only a mortal after all, but I am going to reward you."

Corvo was very wary of his seeming good fortune. The mischievous god seemed to read his thoughts. "Don't worry Corvo this time I promise only good will come of my gift." With that the Void and the it's lonesome resident began to fade from Corvo's vision. The last thing he saw was the midnight black of his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Corvo awoke with a start in the infirmary. A nurse rushed over to him. "Lord Protector you're awake. You are very lucky to be alive. The doctors did not think you would last the night. They said your recovery was a miracle." Corvo only half listened to the nurse prattle on as he flexed his muscles, feeling only soreness and a slight pain in his abdomen. He interrupted the nurse's tirade "How long?"

"Two days M'lord. The empress was beside herself." she said coyly. Corvo was always good at communicating without speaking, and his look told the servant girl that her suppositions were neither appreciated nor to be shared.

"Where are my clothes?"

"But sir you can't..." another sharp look from Corvo and her protestations died on her lips. She silently went to fetch his shirt and jacket, a great feat he thought silently to himself. His thoughts turned darker as he thought about what he had to do.

"Where is the Empress."

"She is meeting with her privy counsel now sir."

Corvo knew that Jessamine always went to her office to relax after a grueling session with those quarrelsome aristocrats so he dressed quickly and brushed his way past the once more protesting nurse.

He asked the guard outside to announce him when the Empress arrived. Though it was a bit improper for the Lord Protector to be in the Empress' office without her, the guard did not dare disobey a request from his seemingly invincible commanding officer. For 45 long minutes Corvo waited. He was grateful for the time for it gave him time to compose his thought, but what he must say made the wait nearly unbearable.

He heard her coming down the corridor long before she reached the door. Her tone suggested that the meeting with the counsel had not gone well. _"...selfish, entitled, greedy 'gentlemen' are supposed to help me run this empire. Not appose every measure I try to put in place."_ Corvo could well understand her frustration. He had lost track of the number of times he had wanted to threaten them all at sword point.

She swept into the office like a thundercloud and he nearly lost himself in the pure beauty of her fury. Her features softened into a look of concern when she spotted him standing behind her desk.

"Corvo should you not be resting." her features quickly settled back to their normal composure as the Royal Physician Anton Sokolov entered behind her. Her voice took on a chiding tone. "I need my Royal Protector at full strength."

"I am well enough Your Majesty. There is urgent business we must discuss."

An almost imperceptible frown crossed her face at his formal tone. She turned to Sokolov. "Please keep me informed of your progress." The Royal Physician looked irked at his clear dismissal, but offered no complaint.

Jessamine crossed to the liqueur cabinet and Corvo was surprised to see her pour a glass of Dunwall Distillery whiskey.

"It's actually not bad when mixed with a little elixir."

Corvo had forgotten how nice it was that she always seemed to know what he was thinking and he could well understand her need for a stout drink after dealing with the counsel. They had always apposed any measure that he had tried to pass if it didn't directly profit them.

"That's funny Corvo I was thinking the same thing just before I got here!"

"My Lady I didn't... Weren't you telling Sokolov about it as you came in?"

Jessamine froze in place. She placed her glass on the cabinet with exaggerated care. "No Corvo. Sokolov was going over the details of his and Piero's plan for their plague cure trials. I barely heard any of it because I was so angry at the counsel."

"And just now, I didn't say anything while you poured your drink."

She turned to face him and her eyes widened to match the shocked expression on her protector's face, and the sound of a deep chuckle could be heard as they both realized that they still shared the connection that the Outsider had granted with the gift of the heart.

After his initial shock, Corvo felt a cascade of emotions about this discovery. First, relief that he would always know if Jessamine was safe. Then, fear that the Outsider would exploit this bond as a way to torment them both. Then his thoughts turned darker as he remembered the purpose of his visit.

"What?! What do you mean you have to leave."

He lifted his gaze and saw fire in her eyes. This was not how she was supposed to find out.

"So you were planning to what? Sneak away in the dead of night? Without even the courage to face me. To tell me why." She had been shouting but her last comment was nearly a whisper and she turned away to conceal her tears. Corvo knew that he had hurt her and it nearly killed him. How could he make her understand? Her next statement caught him completely off guard.

"I was going to ask you to marry me Corvo. If you ever woke up." the sorrow in her voice was like a kick to his injured stomach.

"I... I can't."

"Why Corvo? I think you owe me an explanation at least." there was steel in her voice when she did not receive the answer she sought. " Am I not good enough for you. Is there someone else. Don't you love me?" Each new inquiry was like a blow to Corvo and he bowed his head in shame. She continued ruthlessly, trying to inflict the pain that his rejection had made her feel. "It can't be about the nobles not accepting your right. Your father was the Lord Regent of Serkanos before the rebellion." She winced at the look of pain that crossed his face as it did every time she mentioned his family. She gently probed his thoughts and was shocked by the raw power of the emotions she found there. Pain and anger poured off of him in waves, and an overwhelming sense of loss. She suddenly saw images. A man on his knees, a sword thrust into his chest. A woman and young girl hanging from a gallows.

Corvo noticed the look of horror on his lady's face and with a steadying breath reigned in his emotions. "My father..." his voice broke and he started again. "It was agents from Morley. They used the guise of servants to get into the palace. They killed my father because he refused to fight against Gristol. They planned to use me as a figurehead to control Serkanos' military. My uncle was able to get me out before they could get to me, but my mother and little sister were captured. I was only fourteen, but I had trained with the royal guard since I was ten. My uncle and I formed a resistance to the regime Morley set up. We fought for three months before your father was able to spare the men and ships to come to our aid. Luckily most of the aristocracy was not convinced of the allegations of betrayal that the noblemen that Morley bought leveled against my family so they didn't have the power to strike against the imperial navy. They killed my mother and sister when we refused to surrender."

"Gods Corvo." she gasped, all ire forgotten.

His voice was nearly a whisper and full of emotion. "I couldn't save them. _Just like I couldn't save you."_

"_But you did save me. I'm here, safe because of you. You defied a god to bring me back Corvo. How can you possibly think you failed me?"_

"_Don't you see? The Abbey found out about my connection to the Outsider. One of their overseers saw me use my powers to save Emily from an assassin from Tyvia. They were going to have me banished. I gave up a prosperous and sure future for our daughter for my own selfish desires. How can I protect you from myself?"_

_Corvo we both know that Emily would never have allowed that to happen. She would have defied the Abbey. She was too young to know the delicate nature of power. They would have destroyed her. By taking the course you did you saved us both. _

"Did you know that two days ago was the seventh attempt on my life."

Corvo was once again lost by her sudden change of topic as well as her withdrawal from the intimate connection that they shared. He worried that he had angered her again but her reassuring smile seemed to breath new life into his overwhelmed mind. She continued, "That is more than my father and grandfather combined. Do you know why that is?

Corvo's still sluggish brain could only come up with a muttered reply about the rat plague.

"No. People are afraid, yes. But my grandfather oppressed the people heavily. My father led us to war with Morley. Both were far more reviled by the common man than I was. Am." Her mistake, while understandable, still cut like a knife and, Corvo hung his head once more. "Look at me Corvo." her command was firm but held no malice, and he did as he was bid. "It's the people closest to me. The people who hold the wealth of this empire where the real threat lies. The simple fact is, proud Lords and Royal men will never be able to tolerate a woman ruling over them. I refuse to be a figurehead leader and allow these cruel men to rule my empire. It is no coincidence that the moment I sent you on your journey they perceived my weakness and set their plans in motion."

"_You are __NOT weak!" _

"_I know that Corvo." _her words were harsh but her tone was light.

She continued without missing a beat. "All that matters is what they think. They gentility think that I will cater to their coffers before the welfare of my people. And the people believe that, because of my gender, I am being manipulated by the aristocracy. The result is that all secretly wish for my removal from power by any means. You can't stop them all Corvo."

Corvo turned over his hand and stared where the Outsider's mark was once imprinted. Though he hated to admit it, he knew she was right. Without the Outsider's power he could never protect her from a world that seemed determined to see her dead. But what could he do? He knew she would never leave with him. He **couldn't** watch her die again.

I have already told you the solution. Marry me. Forgetting for a moment that for once doing the right thing for the empire would make me very happy, I need you Corvo. _For gods' sake, you single-handedly pulled Dunwall from the pit of despair and destruction that Hiram's plague and reign of terror placed us in. I watched while you raised Emily up to be and honorable girl, beloved by the people and took no credit for yourself. You could have you know. You could have made yourself Lord Regent like all the 'good' 'well intentioned' men who aspired to it, but you didn't."_

"That's why I need you Corvo. I know you have no higher ambition than to keep us safe. And with you as my Emperor, no one will question our decisions solely based on my lack of the proper plumbing."

Corvo was shocked at her crude reference but then a laugh burst from him. Jessamine was surprised as she had only heard him laugh with Emily before. Then she started giggling. Their laughter kept building until the large room echoed with their mirth and tears streamed from their eyes. It seemed to them as if all the pent up pain and fear of the last two and a half years was exercised in this one outpouring of emotion. Afterward, they sat exhausted in the padded chair of the empress' desk.

_I'll do it. I'll marry you. But not because it's what is best for the empire. And not out of a sense of duty. I'll do it because I love you Jessamine._


End file.
